St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-22
A MAGNETIC DICE TABLE.
How the Crafty Owner Won Thou
sands of Dollars.

For ten years past there has stood in
the the corner of the billiard room of
the principal hotel of this town rickety
old card table, writes a correspondent
from Hanford, Cal. It's worthlessness
caused it to remain in the place during
the changes of the hotels many pro-
prietorShips. 1t was a round table COW
cred with an old gray army blanket,
lacked 10 the edge through long strip
OF leather. At regular distances were
iour pieces OF tin clumsily nailed down
1or the players to lay their lighted cigars
on. LII late years its four rudely made
legs were so Shaky that no one cared to
teeter his chips on the table, and it was
chiefly used by the guests to throw their
coats ana hats on when they went to
their meals.
For long time the present proprietor
always SAID When he looked at the table
that he ''intended to clear it OUT to-mor-
row ana get q new One," but somehow
this was not done until lately: perhaps
then only because people began to tear
their coats on nailS,and their impromptu
remarks on the subject tended to com
plicate matters.
1t was after double-barreled ex
plosion of this Kind the other day that
the proprietor told his bartender to cut
the cover off the table and make kind
ling Steod of the cussed thing. The
bartender whipped out his knife and
began to carve the blanket. He had
just made one savage slash and had
started second, when his knife struck
against something metallic. He then
ripped the cover off and found steel
plate nine inches long and six inches
wide, which was set flush into the table.
The plate was about a foot from the
edge and pierced with dozen holes.
Every one wondered what it was for
and an old tOwnSman remembered that
the table had been brought there from
Virginia City years ago, and presumed
it was used in the early days to play
some kind of cribbage. When the table
began to be chopped up a light was
thrown on the character of the table;
for underneath the top, concealed Oh
little shelf by one of the legs, were a
small battery, coils of wire and some
complicated machinery connected with
one of the tin plates. These were COW
cred with rust and dust.
Then the old tOwnSman woke up and
remembered seeing in days gone by
man named Pick Davis win $1,000 at
dice on that very table from a cattle
man in about fifteen seconds. besides
picking up sundry thousands and hun
dreds at other times from those who were
gamblingly inclined. Two drinks also
caused the old townsman to suddenly
recollect that Davis came down to Mus
sci Slough-as Hanford was called then
from Virginia City with big reputa-
ton as ''dip chuckler," and the boys
came from far and near to buck him.
1t was said that Davis had won over
S1f1O 0(0 M 1ipa in tho DniDac Xubarn ba
was called LUCKY Pick AS he was
not found out in his play he is alive to-
day, but he has changed his name and
owns big ranch in the San Joaquin
valley. So it is seen that one way to
wealth and responsibility has been for
''sure thing man." in the discovery of
a magnetic outfit to do up people with
dice, and not get caught because he got
i'll his work Single-handed.